Christian Democrat Leader Warns Against Islamic Radicalism

A Muslim-organised 'Big Debate on the Islamification of Britain' in central London tonight will hear a warning by Councillor Alan Craig, Leader of the Opposition on Newham Council, that not enough is being done to tackle militant Islam in the capital. He will cite "naive and misguided" tolerance of separatist groups over how places of worship are used to radicalise young muslims. And he will attack the millions of pounds being spent by the government through The Preventing Violent Extremism Initiative to local Islamic groups and associations which promote a religion incompatible with the values of an open and democratic society. The panel discussion will include representatives from the Church of England, radical political Islam, the far-right BNP and from the secular British Humanist Association. Councillor Craig - who leads the Christian Peoples Alliance group on Newham Council - will criticise Labour-run Newham for the support they have given to a proposal by Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat for the construction of a mega-mosque at West Ham, close to the site of the 2010 London Olympics. He will point out how men convicted of planning terrorist attacks suchas the Transatlantic Bomb Plot were associates of Tablighi Jamaat.

Alan Craig will say:

"We live in a democracy and Muslims are fully entitled to mosques. But this secretive separatist Islamic group must not be allowed to construct a huge national landmark mosque that will further promote their divisive and intolerant form of Islam. Labour are both misguided and naive in the support they have given this organisation."

Alan Craig will tell his fellow-panelists that Tablighi Jamaat - just like the BNP - divides communities, builds barriers and spawns hostility and intolerance. And he will cite support for his stance against the mosque by many local muslims and national Islamic leaders. Earlier this year Newham Council gave Tablighi Jamaat a January 2010 deadline to submit their plan for the mosque:

"In our democracy we allow the BNP to promote their odious ideology. Equally we must permit Tablighi Jamaat to promote theirs. But in the masterplan their mega-mosque must be scaled down to the size of a neighbourhood mosque to reduce its anti-social impact. Alternatively the authorities should compulsorily purchase the 18 acre site for wider housing and community use."

In the Islamification debate tonight, Cllr Craig will warmly praise Muslims for putting religion back into public debate in the UK.

He will also argue for zero tolerance of Sharia (Islamic) domestic law in the UK as it is incompatible with European human rights and with equal rights for women; and for a debate to start about banning the anti-social, anti-integration niqab (face-veil) - an issue first raised three years ago by Jack Straw MP and more recently in France by President Nicholas Sarkozy.

The panel debate tonight on the Islamification of Britain has been organised by the Muslim Debate Initiative and will be held at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 2RL starting at 6.15pm.

Representatives from the British Humanist Association, the British National Party, the Christian Peoples Alliance, The Church of England, English Democrats and the Muslim Debate Initiative will sit on the panel.